MED Week 2024 Partners With African American Foundations To Support Businesses

By Phil Andrews

“MED WEEK will continue to fuel the growth of small business in New York State well into the future. 

The Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, Inc.’s insight and knowledge of resources in New York State gives the chamber a unique advantage of helping its small business owners who are members of the chamber, and its wider network grow to scale.  

Ultimately, the chamber measures its success in terms of how many businesses increase their revenue, employ more people, and increase the net worth of their enterprises,” says Phil Andrews.

In 1983 former President Ronald Reagan proclaimed the week of October 2 through October 8, as Minority Enterprise Development Week, and called upon all Americans to join together with minority business enterprises across the country in appropriate observances.  This year MED WEEK activities will begin on Wednesday, October 9 at the Town of Hempstead Pavilion in Hempstead, New York from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.  The ultimate goal of MED WEEK is to expand its programs and activities throughout the month by the year 2026.

“MED WEEK is about raising awareness among minority business owners, and it gives minority-owned firms access to information and resources to grow their businesses domestically and internationally through networking events, workshops and forums. There are many minority-owned businesses out there but often we are not aware of them. MED WEEK allows everyone to come together and share those resources.,” says Rose Ward, Vice President of the LIAACC and owner of NFocus Management Group.

MED WEEK is also about leveraging your network of businesses through information on how to grow customer base, enter new markets, access capital through grants and contracting opportunities. We often hear of the many challenges that minority-owned businesses face; but this is a time to celebrate the successes of minority-owned businesses.

“As a business consultant my job is to help small minority-owned businesses to access resources and put processes in place to grow their businesses and become more profitable. MED WEEK’s goal is in alignment with that lofty goal achieving greater outcomes for small business owners.  It’s a one-stop shop to network with state and local governments and give them access to programs they would not have known about otherwise,” says Jordan Isaac, owner of Cornucopia Business Consulting.

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Due to increased interest in MED WEEK activities, all participants must register in advance for the first day to get all updates for MED Week 2024. Activities begin Wednesday, October 9 at the Town of Hempstead Pavilion in Hempstead, New York at 6:00PM. To register for MED WEEK visit: https://tinyurl.com/medweek2024ny 

The Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. was founded in 2010 and is New York State’s Largest African American Chamber. It was named the Metro N.Y. District of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 2019 Small Business Champion for 14 counties in Downstate New York. For the last two years the chamber has served as a participating organization in the Community Navigator Pilot Program, which was funded in part through United States Black Chamber’s grant with the SBA.  For more information on the chamber’s programs and activities or to become a member of the chamber visit: www.liaacc.org

Contributors– Phil Andrews, President, Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, Inc., Rose Ward, Vice President, Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, Anthony Quinones, Interim CFO, Jordan Isaac, owner of Cornucopia Business Consulting.

Phil Andrews

Phil Andrews is the current President of Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce, Inc. (LIAACC) and President-Emeritus of Black Public Relations Society-New York. He is also a Two-term Past President of the 100 Black Men of Long Island. He is the Corresponding Secretary of the United Black Men of Queens Foundation, Inc. and sits on the President’s Council of the Big Brothers and Sisters of Long Island. In March of 2021 Mr. Andrews was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Long Island Association and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Interfaith Nutrition Network. https://www.linkedin.com/in/100bmeny/

Photo credit: Phil Andrews